Book Information: Girl in Blue

Ever since she read Fanny Campbell, the Female Pirate Captain, Sarah Louisa Wheelock has vowed that she will never allow a man to control her life. When Sarah's father promises her hand in marriage to their despicable neighbor Ezekiel Kunkle, Sarah knows that she has no other choice but to leave home. She cleverly disguises herself as a man and joins the Flint Union Greys, a regiment that becomes part of the 2nd Michigan Infantry during the Civil War.

Sarah, know to the other soldiers as Neddy Compton, works as a male nurse. One day, while she is entertaining the wounded soldiers, General McClellan, commander in chief of the Union army, observes Sarah's talent for mimicry. Later, when Sarah is found to be a woman, McClellan introduces her to his friend, Allan Pinkerton, head of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, who offers her a position as a woman "operative." Sarah's first assignment is to investigate Rose Greenhow, who is thought to be a spy for the South.

Ann Rinaldi is one of the most respected and popular writers of historical fiction for young readers. In telling Sarah's story, Rinaldi presents a wily, intelligent heroine whom readers will cheer through every challenge.